Vessel with a well for cargo barges

ABSTRACT

A vessel with a lengthwise well in which a series of cargo barges are arranged and connected to the ship hull by a coupling which is vertically slidable and adapted to be fixed to the hull, the coupling comprising an upstanding pin adapted to engage an opening on a barge, and an upper coupling which by way of an actuating mechanism is engageable with an upstanding pin on a barge, so that a barge while floating on its load water line can be clamped between the two couplings.

United States Patent [191 Sorensen Jan. 21, 1975 VESSEL WITH A WELL FOR CARGO BARGES [75] Inventor: Per Holst Sorensen, Frederikshavn,

Denmark [73] Assignee: Frederikshavn Vaerfta &

TordokaA/S, Frederikshavn, Denmark 22 Filed: Aug. 16, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 388,966

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 16, 1972 Denmark 4046/72 [52] US. Cl. 114/435 [51] Int. Cl B631) 35/28 [58] Field of Search 114/435, 72, 73, 75;

248/119 R; 294/103 R, 67 DA, 67 DB [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Grigsby 294/103 R 12/1969 Dluhy 114/72 11/1970 Farrell 114/435 Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Assistant ExaminerSherman D. Basinger Attorney, Agent, or FirmCushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT A vessel with a lengthwise well in which a series of cargo barges are arranged and connected to the ship hull by a coupling which is vertically slidable and adapted to be fixed to the hull, the coupling comprising an upstanding pin adapted to engage an opening on a barge, and an upper coupling which by way of an actuating mechanism is engageable with an upstanding pin on a barge, so that a barge while floating on its load water line can be clamped between the two couplings.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEI] JAN 21 I975 SHEEI 10F 2 VESSEL WITH A WELL FOR CARGO BARGES The present invention relates to a vessel of the type in whose hull there is formed a lengthwise well open in the stern for receiving a train of cargo barges floating on their load water line, in which well there are provided vertically adjustable coupling means adapted to engage with coupling means on the barges, and securing means adapted to secure the coupling means to the hull.

US. Pat. No. 3,5 37,4l 3 discloses such a vessel where the coupling means are comprised partly of vertical spindles mounted in and carried through the deck above the well, and horizontal means mounted below the water line in the wall of the well.

Said first coupling means, as stated, are comprised of spindles, the lower end of which is provided with jaws adapted to engage in claw-like manner with coupling means on the barge, and the upper end of which includes means for actuating spindle and jaws. The lower horizontal coupling means are comprised of a bolt or key mounted in a stuffing box in the ships side and adapted to be inserted in a locking device provided in the side wall of the barge and upon rotation about its longitudinal axis to engage with the locking means so as to firmly hold the barge in the lateral direction.

The vessel according to the present invention is distinguished by the fact that the coupling means are arranged on columns being mounted to be vertically slidable in vertical guides provided in the wall of the well, each column being connected to an actuating mechanism for raising and lowering the column, the lower end of which includes a coupling means, such as an upstanding pin adapted when raising the column to become engaged with a coupling means, such as an opening, in the barge, and the upper end of which column has a coupling means which assisted by an actuating mechanism is engageable with a coupling means on the barge to apply a downward pressure thereto, whereby the barge is urged against the lower coupling means of the column.

This construction enables the barge to be positively secured against the extremely strong forces produced both upwardly and laterally by the ships motion in the sea. The coupling means arranged above each other, engaging each corner of the barge, act as jaws interconnected by means of a rigid column which may be firmly anchored in the ships side, and the barge is secured by the opposed pressure ofthe two coupling means, whereby the barge is clamped between said coupling means. Those portions of the coupling means below water may be of simple and impervious nature such that the corrosive effect of the water or deposits of any kind occurring below water will not reduce or eliminate the operation of the coupling means.

One particular advantage of these coupling means is that they are engageable with the barge at any vertical position thereof in relation to the hull of the ship as the coupling means are movable upwards and downwards by vertical displacement of the column, to thereby enable the barges to be secured to the ship floating on their own load water line, which means that the mother ship will be weighed down by her own load only, and it is possible to accommodate barges of different draft and weight, unaffected by the load line of the mother ship.

It is a particular advantage of the coupling means according to the invention that they can be used in combination with the conventional cargo barges provided with pins on the top side and with openings underneath for receiving the pins with a view to stacking the barges.

As a rule, a cargo barge will not be ideal for providing good flow conditions in the stern of the mother ship, and according to the present invention, there is therefore provided a stern barge adapted to be positioned behind the cargo barges in the well and having an inclined underside adjusted to the flow conditions.

According to the invention, this stern barge may have an adjustable, inclined bottom portion whose end facing the cargo barges is adapted to be raised and lowered.

A stern barge of this particular construction makes it possible to form a bottom in the aft well offering the best possible flow lines such that the well and the cargo barges therein will not lead to reduced navigation characteristics of the ship.

According to the invention, the fore bulkhead of the well may be provided with a vertical buffer such as a wooden wall.

This makes it possible to float the train of barges into the well by means of a tug boat and urge them against the buffer, while bringing the coupling and securing means into engagement and securing same.

According to the invention, it is possible to use therefor a mechanism on the ship which is adapted to hold the train of barges against the buffer. This arrangement enables the tug boat to leave the mother ship as soon as the barges have been floated into the well, the fixing of the barges in the well being taken over by the said mechanism.

The invention will now be explained below with reference to the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the stern of a vessel according to the invention and showing three cargo barges in a well provided in the hull,

FIG. 2 shows the rear section of the well on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 3 coupling and locking means for a cargo barge, in side view prior to coupling, and

FIG. 4 the same as FIG. 3 in a different position after coupling.

FIG. 1 shows the stern of a ship 1 whose forepart is of conventional construction, whereas the stern is formed as a catamaran or twin-hulled ship to thereby provide a lengthwise well 2 rearwardly open and terminating in a forward vertical wooden wall 3 forming a buffer for three cargo barges 4 arranged in tandem, being in end-to-end relationship. Aft of the rear cargo barge 4 there is secured a so-called stern barge 5 provided with an inclined underside 6, while the barges 4 have a bottom substantially following the level of the water line.

The water line of the mother ship is designated 7, and the three cargo barges are floating on their own load water line until secured to the hull of the mother ship.

In the vertical, longitudinal sides of the well 2 there are provided some vertical guides 8 in which are mounted vertically slidable columns 9 connected at the top to a wire 10 which is passed over two cord pulleys 11 and 12 to the end of a piston rod 13 of a hydraulic cylinder 14. The cylinder 14 thus enables the column 9 to be raised and lowered within the guides 8. For

every barge 4 there are provided four columns 9 located adjacent the four corners of the barge.

The top corners of each barge 4 carry four upstanding pins 15, there being provided vertically below the four corners an opening adapted to receive a pin 16 upstanding from a bracket 17 on the column 9.

Each pin is adapted to engage with a socket 18 having a face matching the configuration of the pin 15 and secured to a toggle mechanism in the column 9. Said toggle mechanism is comprised of two arms 19 and 20 mounted about pins in the column 9 and interconnected by means of a connecting arm 21 which is connected to a piston rod 22 for a hydraulic cylinder 23. The toggle mechanism is movable by means of the hydraulic cylinder 23 from the position indicated in FIG. 3 to the position indicated in FIG. 4 to thereby cause the socket 18 to engage the pin 15 and apply a downward pressure thereto, whereby the barge 4 is clamped between the pin 15 and pin 16 to be rigidly connected to the column 9.

The rear of the column 9 is connected to a toothing 24 forming a generally vertical toothed bar, and the bottom wall of the guide 8 is provided with a similar toothing 25. By means of the cylinder 23 said two toothings are caused to mesh to thereby lock the column 9 with respect to the guide 8. As the measures of the barges will show wide tolerances, there is provided a locking means in the guide 9 to prevent slack connections and comprised of a hydraulic cylinder 26 pivotally connected to the column 9, and an eccentric mechanism 27 mounted on the column 9 to enable the column 9 upon actuation of the cylinder 26 to be clamped against the rear wall of the guide such that the toothed bars are maintained in engagement with each other. At the same time the barge is firmly secured between pin 16 and socket 18.

For mechanically securing the said clamping mechanism there is provided a lock 28 which becomes operative when the teeth are fully meshed, whereupon the hydraulic cylinder 26 may be relieved.

The stern barge 5 is shown on an enlarged scale in FIG. 2, and it will appear therefrom that it has a forwardly projecting end 29 abutting the rear wall 30 of the rear barge 4. The stern barge is secured to the barge 4 by means of not shown securing means of the same type as those used to couple the respective barges. There are also provided securing mechanisms 31 adapted to secure the stern barge 5 to the hull.

There is provided an additional mechanism 32 for securing the stern barge against horizontal movement relatively to the well until the mechanisms 31 have been actuated.

The front section of the stern barge 5 has an adjustable bottom 33 which by means of a mechanism 34 may be set at different heights and thus be adapted to the draft of the cargo barge 4. The bottom 6 and the underside of the member 33 provide an inclined bottom having suitable flow lines.

The three cargo barges are floated into the well in a train by means of a tug boat, and when the front wall of the leading barge bumps against the buffer 3, the mechanism 32 is actuated to thereby hold the barges in the well and to allow the tug boat to leave. Now, each barge is secured individually, the coupling means being locked in pairs, i.e., a man is placed at either side of the well on the ships second deck by a hydraulic control panel. From this position the movement of the barge is supervised through a watertight door 35. The columns 9 have been sufficiently lowered to enable the barges to float on their load water line without touching the pin 16. The columns 9 are raised by means of the cylinder 14 whereby the pins 16 are caused to engage with the fittings in the lower part of the barge. Now, the cylinders 23 are actuated so as to cause the sockets 19 to engage the pins 15, and the cargo barge is clamped between the sockets 18 and the pins 16. The columns are then locked by means of the cylinders 26 and subsequently by means of the lock 28.

The stem barge 5 may be floated in together with the barges or immediately afterwards. When the barges have been locked as described, each side of the stern barge is locked to the hull by means of the securing mechanisms 31.

Finally, the height of bottom member 33 is adjusted by means of the mechanism 34, after which the ship is ready to sail.

I claim:

1. A vessel of the type in whose hull there is formed a lengthwise well open in the stern for receiving a train of cargo barges floating on their load water line, in which well there are provided vertically adjustable coupling means adapted to engage with coupling means on the barges, and securing means adapted to secure the coupling means to the hull of the ship, where said coupling means are mounted on vertical columns mounted to be vertically slidable in vertical guides provided in the wall of the well, each column being connected to an actuating mechanism for raising and lowering the column, the lower end of which carries a coupling means, such as an up-standing pin adapted when raising the column to become engaged with a coupling means, such as an opening, in the barge, the upper end of which column has a coupling means which by means of an actuating mechanism is engageable with a coupling means on the barge to apply a downward and outward pressure thereto, whereby the barge is urged against the lower coupling means of the column and away from the well wall.

2. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the upper coupling means on the column has at least one downwardly directed surface adapted to engage with an upstanding pin on the barge and connected to a toggle mechanism adapted partly to urge the coupling means downwardly and inwardly and partly to urge the column away from the barge to engage fixing means provided in a bottom wall of the guide.

3. A vessel according to claim 2, wherein said fixing means are comprised of a vertical toothing at the bottom of the column guide and adapted to mesh with a toothing on the column.

4. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein a powerdriven, hydraulically operated locking mechanism is provided having pivotal eccentric means for clamping the column against toothing disposed in the column guide.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 861,341 Dated Jan. 2]., 1975 Inventor(s) Per H. 'SORENSEN It is certified that error appears in the above-idehtified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

- At paragraph "[73] on the front page format, correct the spelling of the Assign ee from -"Frederikshavn Vaerftg &

Tordakg A/S" to --Frederikshavn Vaerft & Tordok A/S-.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN- Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks RUTH C. MASON Attesting Officer 

1. A vessel of the type in whose hull there is formed a lengthwise well open in the stErn for receiving a train of cargo barges floating on their load water line, in which well there are provided vertically adjustable coupling means adapted to engage with coupling means on the barges, and securing means adapted to secure the coupling means to the hull of the ship, where said coupling means are mounted on vertical columns mounted to be vertically slidable in vertical guides provided in the wall of the well, each column being connected to an actuating mechanism for raising and lowering the column, the lower end of which carries a coupling means, such as an up-standing pin adapted when raising the column to become engaged with a coupling means, such as an opening, in the barge, the upper end of which column has a coupling means which by means of an actuating mechanism is engageable with a coupling means on the barge to apply a downward and outward pressure thereto, whereby the barge is urged against the lower coupling means of the column and away from the well wall.
 2. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the upper coupling means on the column has at least one downwardly directed surface adapted to engage with an upstanding pin on the barge and connected to a toggle mechanism adapted partly to urge the coupling means downwardly and inwardly and partly to urge the column away from the barge to engage fixing means provided in a bottom wall of the guide.
 3. A vessel according to claim 2, wherein said fixing means are comprised of a vertical toothing at the bottom of the column guide and adapted to mesh with a toothing on the column.
 4. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein a power-driven, hydraulically operated locking mechanism is provided having pivotal eccentric means for clamping the column against toothing disposed in the column guide. 